1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication service which interworks a private wireless network with a public land mobile network (PLMN), and in particular, to an interactive short message service (SMS) system.
2. Related Art
A public land mobile network (PLMN) can be a cellular network for use with mobile cellular radio communications. A public land mobile network generally includes equipment installed at a number of different locations. Each location includes a mobile switching center (MSC) and a visitor location register (VLR). The mobile switching center provides a circuit switched connection of speech and signaling information between a mobile station and the public land mobile network.
The mobile switching center is in communication with at least one base station controller (BSC). The base station controller is in communication with at least one base transceiver station (BTS). The base transceiver station is the physical equipment, including a radio tower, for example, that provides radio coverage to a region or cell.
A short message service (SMS) generally is a low-bandwidth, wireless, two-way service which allows a user to transmit and receive alphanumeric messages between mobile systems and external systems that support paging and e-mail. A person can use a mobile device such as a portable computer, pager, or cellular telephone to request information from a short message service server. The user can request weather information, sports information, financial information, news, and other information.
When different systems and components are in communication with each other, and are working together to perform some function, these different systems and tasks can be said to be interworking. Such interworking generally is facilitated when common standards are used to define the interfaces between the different systems and components. Typically, the different systems and components would not be able to be used together without the implementation of such common standards. An interface can be used to facilitate such interworking. When two distinctly different types of networks are interworked using an interface implementing standard network protocols, then communication can occur between the networks.
It would be desirable for a person to be able to use a mobile device to access both a first short message service server and a second short message service server, when the first server is part of a private wireless network and the second server is part of a public land mobile network (PLMN). There are benefits to enabling such access, because such access can be more cost-effective, and can give the user more services, flexibility, and convenience.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to develop a system and method providing an interactive short message service in a private wireless network, and providing a mobile communication service which conveniently interworks a private wireless network with a public land mobile network (PLMN) for interactive short message service (SMS) communications.